Sugarcoated
by Anchors
Summary: Bella moves to Forks in different circumstances, one of which is that Bella knows what vampires are and doesn't like them. Infact, vampires have caused her great tragedy. How will things play out differently for Bella? Only time will tell.
1. Not so subtle differences

_Hello all, this is just a little side project I have from my first story "The Thorns of my Memories." I hope you enjoy it. I know this chapter is short, I'll be writing longer chapters after this. Keep in mind that Bella will be slightly out of character (OOC). She will be OOC because first off I am writing her story. I am not S. Meyer and our writing styles are different which will have an effect on the story. Also, Bella has had different life experiences which shape the way she thinks, feels and reacts. _

_One more little FYI: Lines in itallics are Bella's inner monologue._

Chapter One:

_**Not so subtle differences**_

There was a very distinct difference from my window seat on the plane as Arizona was forced into my past and the thought of cold, wet Washington as my new home became a reality. The lack of the sun, noticeable from the plane even though I'm sure we were supposed to be _above_ the clouds, was depressing to say the least. All disturbing climate differences aside, I was optimistic about my new life that was awaiting me in Forks, Washington.

Of course going to a new school smack dab in the middle of my junior year was going to be a struggle, I never really cared for any extra attention. Other than the attention and the climate, everything would be better than Arizona. Charlie, my dad and former Chief of Police for Forks was injured last year by some kind of animal attack. Or at least that's what he told everyone, but I knew better than that, even if I didn't let on to it. I remember flying in to visit him in the hospital, I was a nervous wreck but Charlie was happy as could be, never even hinting at the pain his gruesome injuries showed that he had to be in. Charlie was able to retire from the police force with full retirement pay and a week after he was released from the hospital he opened up a candy store and bakery, Chief's Sweets.

Anyone who knew Charlie would never guess that this would be something that he wanted to do; it even surprised me a little. He didn't bake or actually make the candy, Charlie couldn't make a proper PB&J but he did all of the book keeping, ordering supplies and such. Any free time he had from the mundane side of the shop he spent talking to customers. I don't know where he got the idea for a sweet shop or how long he wanted to do it but when he asked if I wanted to come live with him and work at the shop I couldn't pack my things fast enough. Home in Phoenix with my mother, Renee, wasn't the most pleasant of living circumstances. Renee had what you could only refer to as an 'alternative lifestyle'. Or at least that's the politically correct way of calling someone an acid-addicted, irresponsible, lunatic hippie. I resented that statement, my mom was much more of a pot head than an acid-addict. Nevertheless I'm sure you get the point.

Yes somewhere in the great state of Washington there was a sheer genius of a judge that granted a childlike mother custody of me instead of a straight-laced police officer father. Fortunately for me after Charlie asked if I wanted to come live with him the D.E.A rushed into our house with a warrant for my mother's equally drugged up boyfriend, Phil, and found the jungle of pot plants that had transformed our garage into a scene straight from Jumanji. My mom of course said she knew nothing about it which would have meant that she was both blind and had no sense of smell. If anyone besides frat boys lived on either side of us Phil would have been arrested a long time ago, the smell was that strong. Mom got off but Charlie and I pounced at the opportunity for him to get custody.

So now here I am, about to begin a new and hopefully better chapter of my life with my dad and his candy shop. The plane glided to a halt and I a cold rush of air hit me like a ton of bricks as soon as I stepped into the airport. _For Christ's sake we are indoors. How can it already be this cold?_

I zipped up my jacket that barely made a dent in the cold, it was hard to find suitable cold-weather gear in the AZ, and made my way through the airport. I only managed to walk a couple yards before I heard Charlie's rough voice.

"Bells, over here." He was trying to inconspicuously wave at me. That was one of many things I had in common with Charlie, we both loathed any extra attention. Time spent between us consisted of few words and a lot of comfortable silence. How he was ever with Renee, who talked a thousand words a minute like an auctioneer, I would never be able to figure out.

"Hey Charlie," I said while we high-fived. Charlie and I never felt the need to hug, another thing that made him, and by default me, unlike Renee.

"It's good to have you home Bells. How was the flight?"

I sighed. "It was good until I got off of the plane, it's freezing here. I almost ran back on bored to breathe in the warm Arizona air for just a little while longer."

He chuckled. "You'll get used to it. Don't worry we have heating at home and in the shop."

"Good or I'd be staying in a hotel."

The drive to Forks, _home_, was interesting and slightly depressing. Ninety-nine percent of my view from the passenger window consisted of trees and clouds. The other one percent of it was made up of infrequent speckles of civilization.

"Wow I forgot how out in the boondocks Forks is," I said with a sigh. Charlie smiled.

"Well they've added another gas station and restaurant since you were here last, not to mention my store."

"Great, I can't wait to see them," I laced my words with as much sarcasm as I could. I could list twelve gas stations within a few miles of Renee's house in Phoenix and Forks now had three. The only thing keeping me from jumping out of this car and flying back to someplace where I would actually be able to turn on those crappy solar-powered calculators my school in Phoenix, was Charlie.

"Hey pops, you ever think about mov-"

"Not a chance, Bells. Forks is home, I love it here," he replied before I even had a chance to finish.

"Damn," I grumbled, he laughed.

Somewhere on the way home the almost dark sky, that wasn't anywhere near what my definition of "daytime" was, turned into complete black night time. Images flashed through my brain in a painful montage of memories. Night and I were not friends, I knew about things that lurked in the dark and running into one again was not something I wanted to experience. My anxiety wasn't helped by the fact that it never seemed to be daytime here. For all I know those mysterious creatures would be able to walk around freely here. The very thought of that made me shudder violently.

Soon enough we passed through the small stream of the city of Forks and arrived at Charlie's house. I mean_, my home_. I quickly exited the car and ran up to the front steps until I was in the false safely of the light, almost tripping a couple times in the process, and grabbed the key from under the mat. Charlie was looking at me incredulously.

I held the key up dramatically."Really Dad, under the mat? I know this is a small town and you're a cop so anyone who tried to break in would be an idiot, but come on."

He simply shook his head while lifting my suitcases out of the trunk. "You're something else Bells. Don't worry the key won't be there anymore, that's yours."

"Sweet," was my reply. I made my way up to my room and unpacked, thankful that Charlie was once again unlike Renee. She wouldn't have been able to manage the small feat of not hovering above me, forcing me to smile and say that I'm completely happy when I'm anything but. Charlie knows I'm here because of him and only him, I've never been shy about making my disdain for Forks very vocal. If Charlie lived somewhere warm I probably would have planted drugs at Renee's to help him get custody sooner. Just kidding, I think.

I sauntered over to the window and pushed aside the yellowed lace curtains that Renee had placed here so long ago. I found that the inevitable was happening… it was raining. I tried to imagine what my new life in Forks had in store for me but I couldn't picture anything but me falling down into a huge puddle made by the seemingly never-ending rain and drowning, nice. I shook the thoughts of my future out of my head and let my mind recollect the events of the last year. A single tear fell from my right eye as I remembered Charlie in the hospital, the wonderful sun-filled life in Arizona with my alternative yet caring mother that I left behind and my now deceased best friend, Ian. I had lost my best friend, almost lost my Dad and left my mother behind. I felt like I was abandoning my puppy on the side of the highway because I couldn't take care of it anymore. I felt horrible about leaving Renee, even if it would be better for me.

I shook my head again. _I don't want to go there, not now. _Today had been hard enough. I took the hottest shower that my body could stand, in the bathroom that Charlie and I would be sharing. I let the water wash away my tension as well as my disturbing thoughts and worries. My mental fatigue was strong enough that it made me walk sluggishly to my bed before I plopped down on it and quickly succumbed to unconsciousness. Tomorrow was going to be my first day at Forks high and interesting wouldn't even begin to describe it.


	2. First Fright

_Hello all. Thanks for reading and reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad some of you thought the Renee as a pothead thing was funny. When I first read twilight I imagined Renee was exactly like my friend Meghan's mom, totally sweet and caring but also a major stoner._

_Disclaimer: I used some direct quotes from twilight in this chapter but I'm not trying to use them for profit so don't sue me!_

Chapter Two:

_**First fright**_

I woke up three times during the night by the images that plagued my dreams every time I fell asleep. White flashes, barely visible through the woods due to the frightening velocity at which they moved, were coming towards me. Every once in a while small sparkles of haunting crimson would appear in the blurs. My mind was racing, trying to convince my obstinate body to flee… apparently the flight or fight response that was meant to uphold the instinct to survive ceased to exist in me because I was doing neither. So there I stood, for dubious reasons, while the owners of the deep crimson eyes and pale, ominous bodies moved closer and then someone jumped in front of me, in the way of my attackers. I could tell it was a guy, though his back was to me. His pale, muscular body was strong but no one could fight off vampires. I didn't know who my savior was but I knew that for some reason he was vital to my happiness, to my existence. If something happened to him my world, my universe would become a nonentity. I tried harder to make my body move; I yelled at myself, I demanded that I move…his life and my universe depended on it.

_Nothing._

Pathetic is what I was. He was giving his life for me and I was too weak to even move. I was forced by my body to stand there and watch in horror as the vampires lunged at the mysterious center of my universe.

That was the fourth time I woke up. My eyes flashed open and after a moment I realized I was in my room, in Forks, and there were no vampires here, let alone some mystery man that would protect me from them. The shrill sound of my alarm clock startled me so badly that I could actually distinguish the feeling of my heart stopping and then resuming its fast beat. I groaned and slammed my hand on top of the retched invention. I was sufficiently able to do nothing to stop the shrieking of the machine, realizing all too late that the snooze button was not positioned on top of it. After a moment of searching while having my eardrums pounded by the sound that was two thousand decibels too loud I managed to find and disarm the contraption. I couldn't even recall setting an alarm. It must have been Charlie.

I got up and groaned at the fact that the clouds were out and it was in fact raining outside, I had a feeling this would become a routine. After making my way over to the bathroom and taking a steaming shower I felt a little better. Not ready to take on starting a new high school in this mossy, green-covered town that might as well be on an alien planet, but better. I gradually plopped down the stairs and was greeted by Charlie eating one of those heart-attack-in-a-box Jimmy Dean sausage, cheese and biscuit breakfast things.

"Dad, you shouldn't eat those, they're not good for you. Actually, I think eating a vat of Crisco would be healthier," I said while rummaging through the pantry until I found some decent cereal, Captain Crunch. I noticed when I looked up that Charlie was sitting there looking at me with an eyebrow raised as if to say _'look who's talking'. _I stared back. "What? It's just a little sugar; you _do_ own a sweet shop you know. Don't make me compare my nutrition label with yours."

He just chuckled and shook his head while I threw together my cereal and milk and began to eat.

"So," Charlie finally spoke, "do you want to start working at the shop after school or wait a couple weeks? You don't have to work there you know."

I rolled my eyes, chewed and swallowed my remaining bite before speaking. "Of course I want to work there… I'm actually excited for it. Is there any place in town that has Auto Trader? I need to find a car."

(A/N- Auto Trader is a magazine that people advertise their used cars for sale in case you didn't know.)

Charlie's face turned white. "Well Bells, I found a good car for you when I found out you were coming. It's old but I had Billy Black's son Jacob, you remember them, right?"

"No."

"We all used to go fishing together down in La Push…"

"Uh, er-yeah I remember." _Kinda…_

"Anyways after I bought it Jake fixed it up, it runs like a dream. They don't make 'em like that anymore."

"You bought it? You didn't have to do that I saved up so I could buy a car…"

"Well consider it your welcome home and thanks for working at the shop with me present."

"What kind of car is it?"

"Well Billy had Jake drop it off this morning. It's outside, go and have a look."

I dropped my spoon into my cereal bowl and as quickly as possible-without tripping- made my way outside. There sitting on the street in front of the house was a midnight blue 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback.

_Holy crap._

Not only did this car look like it went fast, it was perfectly restored. My car knowledge was minimal but I knew enough to understand that this car was nice and expensive. Mustangs, particularly old mustangs were my favorite cars. I sat there for a couple minutes with my mouth open just starting at it. I didn't even notice when Charlie came out of the house.

I nearly jumped when he spoke. "So do you like it?"

My eyes almost bulged out of my head. "Like it? Dad I love it. Thank you so much." I took another look at the car. "Dad, I can't take this."

He looked confused. "Why not?"

"It's too much. How much did this cost you?" I asked while I popped the hood. Like I suspected, the engine was brand new and made up of shiny chrome. The inside had brand new black leather seats with matching midnight blue trim, a state of the art stereo and the dashboard had all digital gauges.

"Well since I opened the shop I've had some money to spare and it was a lot cheaper than you think." I didn't believe that for a second. "I bought it for a good price and Jake did most of the work. I want you to be happy here Bells."

I smiled. "Thanks dad, I really appreciate it. It's amazing, beyond perfect. The color is great too."

"I'm glad you like it," he said shyly, looking down at the ground embarrassed by my thanks.

I was so happy I barely even noticed it wasn't raining, in fact the rain stopped before I even went outside. I walked back in the house and up to my room to get dressed with a big smile on my face. Things were going better than I thought, I had a new car, a job, and I wasn't wet. I put on my favorite blue sweater, a pair of jeans and my black pea coat that Ian had bought for me last year before I took my annual trip up here. I brushed my hair and applied some waterproof mascara and moisturizer before brushing my teeth and heading out the door.

"Bye Dad, I'll see you at the shop after school."

"Do you want me to write you directions?"

"Dad, I'm sure I can find it. There is only a couple block area in which it can exist."

He laughed. "Right. You can come home and do your homework first. It gets really busy right after school so it'll be better if you come a little later."

"Alright."

The smooth yet intimidating growl of my car was awesome. This thing was a beast. Charlie knew I wasn't the crazy teenager type to want to test out just how fast this thing would go. I'm sure if he didn't believe that then I would have gotten something sluggish, Charlie was a worrier. I sped off-going faster than I meant to- towards the school. I hadn't actually been there before but I knew its general location.

I pulled up the front building marked 'front office' and gladly noticed that I was early; there were just a handful of cars in the parking lot. Regardless of the fact that there were only a few people gawking at me I blushed bright red and walked quickly into the office. The secretary was nice; she gave my schedule along with a map of the campus and pointed to the spots on it where students were allowed to park. I walked outside and noticed the student parking lot was filling up. I got in my car backed up and prowled around for a good parking space and fter finding an open spot I pulled out the map and tried to memorize it, I didn't want to have the thing glued to my face all day. That would cause unnecessary attention.

By the time I felt like I knew where all my classes were I looked up to find my car nearly surrounded by mostly males, obviously drooling over my car. I blushed but then realized that the tint was dark on my windows and no one could see in unless they got a lot closer. I took a deep, unsteady breath and opened my door. I grew red again when I saw the obvious surprise from the guys that a girl was getting out of the car and that I was new. I quickly pressed the button to lock it and tried to make my way through the maze of people and towards the school, ignoring the whispers that were coming from behind me. I walked to my first class as inconspicuously as possible and introduced myself to my teacher; thanking any and every God that he put me in the back of the class.

After a pretty basic English class a gangly boy with oil-slick-black hair introduced himself as Eric. I branded him as an overly helpful, chess club type. He walked me all the way to my next class, asking the expected questions about the differences in weather between here and Arizona. Anyone with two brain cells would be able to come to the conclusion that Forks and Phoenix were complete opposites but I suppose he was trying to make small talk.

After a few classes I started to notice common faces. One girl, whose name I couldn't quite remember sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish. She also walked with me to Lunch and we sat with several of her friends.

It was there, sitting in the cafeteria, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them.

They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big — muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the _Sports Illustrated_ swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes — purplish, bruise like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.

But all this is not why I couldn't look away.

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel.

To someone else, almost anyone else these people would be marked as nothing more than gorgeous and pale. To someone like me, someone in the know, their perfect features, pale skin, purple shadows under their eyes and the unexplainable fear that charged through your body at the site of them, all marked them as what they were, vampires.

My heart began to drum violently in my chest as fear washed over me. There are vampires in my school yet they aren't killing anyone and causing people to flee in fear, two things that at the moment I couldn't explain. Why on Earth would vampires go to school? Then I realized, they must like it here, being able to walk outside in the day time and would want to stay so they went to school, trying to look inconspicuous and probably scouting for prey at the same time.

Then I remembered Charlie and the 'animal attack' that he was hurt in last year. I knew, from the moment that I saw Charlie that it wasn't a simple animal that attacked him, it was a vampire. Anger replaced my fear as I thought of what these sick creatures did to him.

They were all looking away — away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. As I watched, the small girl rose with her tray — unopened soda, unbitten apple — and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible if I didn't know the cause of her speed. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.

"Who are _they_?" I whispered to the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten.

As she looked up to see who I meant — though already knowing, probably, from my tone — suddenly he looked at her, the thinner one, the boyish one, the youngest, perhaps. He looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered to mine.

He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flash of fear I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest — it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.

She giggled in embarrassment.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.

I glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, and yet I knew he was speaking quietly to them.

They had the kinds of names grandparents had and I wondered how old they really were. Then I remembered the girl's name, Jessica. A perfectly normal, non-vampire name.

"They're all _together_ though — Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they _live_ together." Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. I realized that I would have to act like I didn't know what they were so I could get more information from Jessica. Then later tonight dig up as much information as I could about missing people in the area.

Which ones are the Cullens?" I asked. "They don't look related…"

"Oh, they're not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales _are_ brother and sister, twins — the blondes — and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children."

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."

"That's really kind of nice — for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything."

"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy. "I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added.

_Of course they can't have kids they are dead!_ I wanted to scream for everyone to run, I wanted to run myself but I already knew that no human could outrun a vampire. If they were aware that I knew, I would be next on the menu.

Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered again and again to the table where they sat, continuing to look at the walls and not eat.

"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my summers here, even if I wasn't aware of vampires then.

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."

Two years. They had been here two years and no one caught onto them? No one noticed the rise in deaths that I'm sure took place once they moved here? As I examined them, the youngest, one of the Cullens, looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression. As my heart sped up-which I'm sure he could hear- and I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation. _Does he have a power too? Oh shit._

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I whispered even quieter, though it probably didn't help. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me with a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again.

_Great Bella, let's attract attention from the killers. You might as well cut yourself and let the feeding frenzy begin._

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he'd turned her down.

I would have smiled if the fact wasn't that if she _had_ gone on a date with him, she probably wouldn't be sitting here. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling.

After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably and dangerously graceful, it was unsettling to watch. The one named Edward didn't look at me again.

I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day but I was having trouble getting over the fact my school was infested with immortals. One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that her name was Angela, had Biology II with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence.

When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen, sitting next to that single open seat in all of his dangerous immortal glory.

As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him out of the corner of my eye. Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with a hostile, furious expression on his face. I looked away quickly, shocked and scared. I started to shake; surely he wouldn't attack me in front of all these people, would he? Or would he just kill us all? Was he aware that I knew his secret? I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. The girl sitting there giggled.

I'd noticed that his eyes were black — coal black. He was thirsty and I was exactly what he needed to quench that thirst.

Mr. Banner signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along, at least for the short time that I was going to be alive. Of course, he had no choice but to send me to the one open seat in the middle of the room. I kept my eyes down and prayed as I went to sit by _him._

I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like my scent had a big reaction to him. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.

Unfortunately the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down.

I couldn't stop myself from peeking occasionally through the screen of my hair at the vampire boy next to me. During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far from me as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows, and his forearm was hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd looked next to his huge brother.

The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for him to be affected by my rapid heartbeat and finish me off? He seemed angry but he also seemed like he was fighting with himself internally. Was this his normal behavior? The few vampires I had run into acted nothing like this.

My heart started to beat faster as I realized that he must know that I know. He was probably trying to figure out whether to kill me now or later when there are no witnesses. He probably also wants to know if my family is aware of his secret, so he can kill them too before they get suspicious and reveal what he really is.

I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of hate. I flinched away from him and sank into my chair, starting to pray once again.

At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose — he was much taller than I'd thought — his back to me, and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.

I sat frozen, staring blankly after him.

_So he's going to kill me later._

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" a male voice asked.

I looked up to see a cute, baby-faced boy; his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in a friendly way. He obviously wasn't a vampire.

"Bella," I corrected him, with a smile.

"I'm Mike."

"Hi, Mike."

"Do you need any help finding your next class?"

"I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it."

"That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled, though it wasn't that big of a coincidence in a school this small.

We walked to class together; he was a chatterer — he supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for me, my mind was elsewhere and I wasn't capable of talking about myself at the moment. He'd lived in California till he was ten, so he knew how I felt about the sun. It turned out he was in my English class also. He was the nicest person I'd met today and totally human. Which gave him automatic points in my book.

But as we were entering the gym, he asked, "So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that."

I cringed. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed. And, apparently, that wasn't Edward Cullen's usual behavior. I decided to play dumb.

"Was that the boy I sat next to in Biology?" I asked artlessly.

"Yes," he said. "He looked like he was in pain or something."

"I don't know," I responded. "I never spoke to him."

"He's a weird guy." Mike lingered by me instead of heading to the dressing room. "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you."

_Yeah and you probably wouldn't have wanted to drink my blood._

I smiled at him before walking through the girls' locker room door. He was friendly and clearly admiring. But it wasn't enough to ease my fear.

Gym was thankfully eventless. I watched four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained — and inflicted — playing volleyball, I felt faintly nauseated.

The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my paperwork. The wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.

When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out. The only thing that kept me standing there was a mixture of the fear to move and the anger I felt that he was here.

Edward Cullen stood at the desk in front of me. He didn't appear to notice the sound of my entrance- which surprised me- but I was more than grateful for that fact. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free.

He was arguing with her in a low voice and I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time — any other time.

I just couldn't believe that this was just about me. It had to be something else, something that happened before I entered the Biology room. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that he could know that I know. Unless he could read minds.

_Oh shit. Ooohh shit._

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling my hair around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. Edward Cullen's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at me — his face was absurdly handsome — with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind, before anger could once again take its place. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door.

I went meekly to the desk, my face white, and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.

"Fine," I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced.

When I got to my car, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon I was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I headed back home, scanning all around me for any sign of danger.

I called Charlie once I got home, he understood that I was too drained from my first day to work at the shop and told me to get some rest. I did my homework and quickly fell asleep hoping that if someone came in to kill me it would be quick.

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_The next chapters won't follow Twilight so closely because it will be very different. Her first day wasn't that different from Twilight because the only thing that changed was her car, the shop and that she knows what vamps are. Oh and I told you this chapter would be longer! It's almost 4000 words longer!_

_Thank you to my reviewers: Kenai52503, orderofphoenix, Forever-Twilighted and Ignatia Nox La Gambit. Your reviews mean a lot. I'm glad you all liked the story._


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